The
Coalition of Law Abiding Sporting Shooters is a group of
Australians fed up with the abuse of power by the ruling
class of Australia: our politicians, public servants and
media. We are not a shooting club. We are not a
political party. We are a group of concerned Australians
contributing to the public discourse on guns and power
in our country. We are volunteers serving our community.
We look
for ways to move the debate on guns toward
evidence-based, fair measures which limit violence,
while returning to decent Australians the right to go
freely about their business.
CLASS President replies to Tim Fischer on
"Howard's Legacy" in the Australian Financial
Review. Read
more
New WiSH fact sheet,
Firearms Theft in Australia III
Firearms theft
in Australia is extremely low and the incidence of
stolen firearm use in crime is statistically
insignificant.
Read More...
US website Q. and A. on Australian
values with a focus on gun ownership.
Q1:
Hunting, I’m told, is safer than table tennis, so why
are hunters treated like “red necks” even if they’re
Africans? A: Red neck is a term of derision used by
'progressives' to refer to those they disagree with.
Progressives disapprove of hunting.
Read More...
It is time
to call vicious, undeserved
prejudice for what it is. In
his opinion piece of 20 October
2007, the SA Director of Public
Prosecutions tried to whip up
this nasty emotionalism against
his neighbours. He heaps a
storm of abusive language on his
targets, he contrasts them with
saintly police, doctors, mothers
and children; he rhetorically
joins his targets to ‘men of
violence’.
Stephen Pallaras has made
it his mission of the week to get rid of guns in South
Australia. He has been criticized by many in the state
for the lack of evidence that his proposal will have any
practical effect on the criminal misuse of guns. He says
that if there were no guns, there would be no criminal
misuse of them.
Recently the Media carried
variations of the headline, “Tighten
firearms licences: NSW coroner”. The
story related to the tragic murder
of his family by a father and his
subsequent suicide by shooting. He
stabbed and suffocated his wife and
suffocated his two small children. A
deputy NSW coroner included a
recommendation
that
the procedure for issuing firearm
licences be tightened.
A new study published in the prestigious British Journal of Criminology finds that the Buyback had no benefit in reducing Australia's murder rate. Sadly, the AAP article on this appears to be recycled NCGC misdirection. The flaws in the article are:
(1) The article labels the researchers 'pro-gun lobbyists', and fails to consistently use Dr Baker's correct title.
(2) The article claims that other research shows differently, but no reference is provided to this 'research'.
(3) The article gives the last word to 'Sydney university professor Simon Chapman', but does not say
that Chapman is a former activist who helped lead the campaign to ban recreational guns.
Gun Laws and Sudden Death: An important study on the effects of the buybacks. They did nothing to make Australia safer say the authors. Email the authors for a copy.
Drawing a bead:
$50,000 per ticket fundraiser helps European anti-gunners fund US gun ban campaigns.
National Security-Swiss
Style. Since 1291, Switzerland has defended
itself through the use of a heavily-armed populace and a
robust militia. Throughout the past 800 years, the Swiss
citizenry has defended their liberty against threats
both foreign and domestic.
Documents
tendered
in court
show
police
had
issued a
warrant
for
Devaney's
arrest
on
Monday,
after he
failed
to
appear
at
Penrith
Local
Court to
face
charges
of
assault
and
stalking.
The
documents
also
showed
Devaney
received
a
suspended
sentence
in 2004
after
breaching
an
apprehended
violence
order
taken
out by
yesterday's
victim,
Holly
Graham.
Devaney's
lengthy
rap
sheet
also
included
previous
convictions
for
armed
robbery,
stalking,
wearing
a
disguise
to avoid
arrest
and a
series
of
driving
offences.
A man
accused
of
shooting
a gym
worker
at a
city
casino
was
already
on bail
on other
charges
when he
allegedly
opened
fire
yesterday.
Todd
William
Devaney,
37, did
not
appear
in
person
at
Sydney's
Central
Local
Court
today,
where
charges
of
attempted
murder,
malicious
wounding
and
three
counts
of
possessing
a loaded
firearm
were
mentioned.
The
court
was told
Mr
Devaney
was
already
on bail
for
other
matters,
including
common
assault,
when he
allegedly
walked
into
Sydney's
Star
City
Casino
and shot
a female
fitness
instructor.
Former
prime
minister
John
Howard
has
pledged
his
total
support
for
Opposition
Leader
Brendan
Nelson.
Speaking
at a
Liberal
Party
function
in
Sydney,
Mr
Howard
urged
his
former
colleagues
to stay
positive,
despite
being in
Opposition.
Former
ministers
and
colleagues
Helen
Coonan,
Julie
Bishop
and
Andrew
Robb
were at
the
candle-lit
function,
as well
as
current
party
leader,
Brendan
Nelson,
who
listed
the
strong
economy,
the GST,
national
gun laws
and
waterfront
reform
as Mr
Howard's
achievements.
Mr
Howard's
former
deputy
Peter
Costello
did not
attend.
RELATED:
mp3
audio
file
Legislation
allowing
the
Attorney-General
to
declare
bikie
gangs
illegal
passed
the
South
Australia's
Upper
House
last
night.
Control
orders
can also
be
placed
on
members,
restricting
who they
mix with
and
where
they go.
The
government
says
tougher
laws
were
needed
because
criminals
were
exploiting
legal
loopholes.
The SA
Bar
Association
and the
Law
Society,
as well
as the
Greens
and
Democrats,
say the
laws are
extreme
and
unnecessary.
NSW: Man
on
illegal
firearms,
stolen
goods
charges
A man
has been
charged
with a
number
of
firearms
offences
after a
raid on
his
south-west
Sydney
home.
Police
executed
a search
warrant
at the
house on
Hill Rd,
Lurnea
at
8.30am
(AEST)
yesterday,
seizing
several
firearms,
ammunition,
a stolen
CD
player
and
several
car
amplifiers.
Police soon will
have the power to "squash" bikie
gangs and force them to move
elsewhere after the Government's
controversial anti-bikie legislation
passed through Parliament tonight.
Police Minister Paul Holloway said
SA was on the verge of having the
nation's and perhaps the world's
toughest anti-bikie laws. When the
laws are gazetted, it will be
illegal for anyone to associate with
known bikies six or more times a
year. Bikies also will be banned
from specific locations.
A Gold Coast
police officer allegedly stole a
service pistol and swapped it with a
drug trafficker for two surfboards,
a court was told yesterday. The
Glock .22 (sic) handgun later
ended up in NSW in the hands of an
alleged illegal arms dealer,
Southport Magistrate's Court was
told. Senior Constable Christopher
Curtin has also been charged with
possession of tainted property –
allegedly the surfboards. The court
was told the gun and ammunition were
stolen from the Surfers Paradise
police station in March 2001.
Measures to
control the use of airguns and other
weapons are to be discussed at a
firearms summit hosted by the
Scottish Government. Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith has refused to attend
the meeting, saying firearms
legislation is reserved to
Westminster. But Holyrood ministers
said Scotland has distinct problem,
particularly in relation to airguns.
The parents of two-year-old Andrew
Morton, who was killed by an airgun
pellet, were due to attend the
event. Justice Secretary Kenny
MacAskill has said he was "alarmed"
by the UK Government's "complacency"
towards gun laws.
RELATED:
"Not every tragedy demands
government action"
Billions of
pounds spent on closed-circuit
television cameras has had little
effect on crime, a senior British
police officer says. The head of the
Metropolitan Police unit, Detective
Chief Inspector Mick Neville, said
"Billions of pounds has been spent
on kit, but no thought has gone into
how the police are going to use the
images and how they will be used in
court. "It's been an utter fiasco.
Only 3% of crimes were solved byCCTV.
Victoria Police
Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon
has questioned whether her force
really needs semi-automatic Glock
pistols that fire 18 shots.
Victoria's Police Association union
assistant secretary Bruce McKenzie
said yesterday that the State
Government had failed to keep its
pre-election promise by not
providing funds in its budget for
the police to have Taser stun guns
and semi-automatic weapons.
April was a
deadly month in the District of
Columbia, with 18 homicides, nine of
them in Northeast Washington
neighborhoods west of the Anacostia
River. On one Saturday, four people
were fatally shot within four hours.
With motives including domestic
issues, revenge and conflicts over
drugs, authorities have been
struggling to develop clear patterns
and catch the criminals.
A hospital care worker was shot dead when she walked into a
"Wild West" style shoot-out, a court has heard. Magda Pniewska, 26, was caught
in the crossfire between two gunmen in New Cross, south London, in October 2007.
Prosecutor Brian Altman QC told the Old Bailey: "She was in the wrong place at
the wrong time." A 17-year-old youth has admitted possessing a prohibited weapon
but denies murder, attempted murder and possessing a gun to endanger life.
RELATED: On
being down and defenceless in
Britain
"It is not the
gun which is dangerous, it is the
person who picks it up," says David
Smith, 71, a shooting coach with
Parkford Shooting Centre in St Osyth.
"People look at a gun and say that's
dangerous'. But it's like a car -
it's the way you use it that makes
it dangerous." Tim Bonner, of
National Shooting Week, said police
carry out thorough checks before
granting licences. "Our view, which
is supported by the police, is that
if you train a young person in
responsibly using firearms, they are
less likely to misuse an illegal
gun."
The police
chief in Riverdale accidentally shot
himself in an ankle while
demonstrating how to dislodge a
jammed handgun. The 54-year-old
chief accidentally fired a gun
during a training exercise inside a
conference room at Riverdale police
headquarters. The chief's brother, a
state lawmaker, said Hansen is a
23-year veteran and chief of the
Riverdale police force since 2006.
Rep. Neil Hansen, D-Ogden, said
"I've never seen him do anything
reckless."
Submitted by
DG. Comment by DG: When
only the police have guns....
A political
blame game has erupted in the wake
of the weekend's apparent
bikie-related shooting in Adelaide's
CBD. At least 15 bullets were fired
from semi-automatic guns in Gouger
Street early on Sunday morning. No
bystanders were injured in the
shooting and police are yet to lay
charges. Premier Mike Rann says the
Government's bikies legislation
would crackdown on such violence,
but is being held up by the minor
parties.
Anti-gun
campaigners have warned the
Government not to relax firearms
legislation in the run-up to the
London Olympics, saying: "A child's
life is not worth a medal." UK and
Scottish ministers have agreed that
from August, sportsmen and women
will be given special permission to
use their weapons at Ministry of
Defence ranges in Britain. At
present, competitors have to train
abroad.
You just knew it
was coming: At the request of the
Swiss government, an ethics panel
has weighed in on the "dignity" of
plants and opined that the arbitrary
killing of flora is morally wrong.
This is no hoax. The concept of what
could be called "plant rights" is
being seriously debated.
Submitted by DG.RELATED:
Swiss
grant rights to animals, consider
for plants
The former mayor
is under indictment, the council is
hamstrung by infighting and a
defiant landowner has vowed to put a
pig farm on his property to stop the
town from building a water tower.
But the news on everyone's lips in
far north suburban Island Lake is
about Greg Kachka and his T-shirt.
He was arrested at his home on
Tuesday and charged with disorderly
conduct after two councillors
complained that, during a heated
meeting, Kachka pointed his finger
at them while wearing a shirt with a
Marine Corps insignia that said,
"Don't Move. If You Run, You'll Only
Die Tired."
Guns and Bikie Gangs Gun laws are
effective against the ordinary
citizen but are simply ignored by
criminals. One deterrent would be to
(say) double or otherwise
substantially increase criminal
sentences where a gun was involved.
A murder which may draw 15 years in
jail would automatically be
increased to 30 years if a gun was
used. This would both deter some and
jail others for a long time.
Comment: We've been saying that for
years.
A busy city
restaurant strip became a shooting
gallery with at least 15 shots fired
in a gun battle with links to an
outlaw motorcycle gang. Detective Superintendent Des Bray of the Crime Gang Task Force said it was lucky
noone was caught in the crossfire and could not rule out retribution. The hail
of bullets sprayed through a shop
window and an alfresco dining area
as well as hitting at least one
other car.
Two police
officers were taken to hospital and
another was treated for minor
injuries after a woman was arrested
for firearms offences on the Gold
Coast. The 30-year-old woman was
arrested about 12.50pm (AEST)
yesterday after allegedly pointing
what appeared to be a machine gun at
a man, police said. The man had been
paid to clean a house in Golden Four
Drive, Bilinga, where he allegedly
found the woman squatting, and was
threatened with violence.
Submitted by PC (Qld)
At least eight
babies and seven women died in
suspicious circumstances under the
care of disgraced ex-doctor Graeme
Reeves, it has emerged. The claims
were made at a secret meeting
attended by relatives of the alleged
victims at a Sydney hotel last
Wednesday. 817
A 54 year old
man will face Downing Centre Local
Court on 20 May charged with
importing a prohibited import.
Customs investigations began last
Wednesday when officers working at a
Sydney airfreight depot examined two
packages sent from Tbilisi in the
Republic of Georgia. Inside the
packages, described as containing
clothing and 'personal effects,'
officers allegedly found a fully
assembled 9mm semi-automatic pistol
hidden inside a tool bag.
At huge
cost,
the 1996
changes
to
Australia's
gun laws
have
done
nothing
to
reduce
gun-related
deaths,
according
to
Samara
McPhedran,
a
University
of
Sydney
academic
and
co-author
(with
Jeanine
Baker)
of a
soon-to-be-published
paper
that
reviews
a
selection
of
previous
studies
on the
effects
of the
1996
legislation.
The
conclusions
of these
studies
were
"all
over the
place,"
says
McPhedran.
But by
pulling
back and
looking
purely
at the
statistics,
the
answer
"is
there in
black
and
white,"
she
says.
South Coast
Police are investigating a shooting
that occurred at about 8.00pm last
night. The incident occurred at
Reynella where a man was shot in the
leg. It is believed that two men
approached the victim at his home
address and requested to see the
victim’s son. When the son did not
come to the door of the home the
victim was shot through the closed
screen door. The victim was conveyed
to the Flinders Medical Centre, his
condition is unknown.
The threat to
international peace and security
posed by the uncontrolled trade in
small arms and their excessive
accumulation and proliferation
cannot be overemphasized, a senior
United Nations official told the
Security Council today. RELATED:
Security
Council Report
About 80% of
firearms are in civilian hands and
found in just 30 countries. Although
the United States accounts for 40%
of all firearms in civilian
ownership, people put them to more
deadly use elsewhere. The gun murder
rate in Colombia and South Africa,
for example, is much higher than in
America.
There has been a
huge increase in being people shot,
stabbed and even kicked to death
since Labour came to power. Shocking
statistics released last night show
a 14 per cent increase in murder and
manslaughter in England and Wales
between 1998 and 2007.
In an effort to
respect the needs of "social
species," the Swiss parliament
passed legislation last week that
threatens its citizens with
punishment for not providing various
animals a fit environment in which
they can interact and flourish.
Enjoying the most extensive
protection under the new laws, dogs
proved to be the Swiss parliament's
best friend. Prospective dog owners
will now be required to complete a
course in canine treatment that will
include both theoretical and
practical elements. Due to concern
over recent studies suggesting the
pain experienced by fish, anglers
are now subjected to a preparatory
course on humane fishing.
The New South
Wales Game Council says more than
11,000 feral animals have been
killed in state forests since
hunting on public land began two
years ago. Game Council head Brian
Boyle says native animals have been
helped by the removal of thousands
of feral rabbits, goats, pigs and
foxes.
Toronto city
councillors
have voted
overwhelmingly
to ask the
federal
government
to ban
handguns.
Mayor David
Miller did,
however,
come up
three votes
short of the
unanimous
result he
had hoped
for in an
attempt to
put maximum
pressure on
the Stephen
Harper
government
to act on
handguns.
However,
councillor
Michael
Thompson,
said. "It
hasn't
worked
anywhere.
It's a real
empty
gesture.
That's why I
cannot stand
here and say
to you, `I
think it's
great – me
too, me too.'"
Submitted by
DG.
2008 may become
known as the year of the Vegemite
riots following China's ban on the
Australian team taking its own food,
including Vegemite, to the Olympic
Games. In another example of the
iron-clad control Beijing is trying
to exert on foreigners, Games
organisers have told Australia it
must source all food from within
China.
The prime
suspect in the callous killing of a
Frankston mother yesterday was
sentenced to death in 1968 for the
stabbing murder of a 17-year-old
girl. Police have just named Leigh
Robinson, 60, as the prime suspect
in the shotgun murder of a Frankston
mum yesterday. Robinson's death
sentence for the murder of the
teenager was commuted in 1969 and he
was released on parole in 1983. In
1991 he pleaded guilty to 14 charges
of handling more than $100,000 worth
of stolen goods. He received a
two-year sentence with a minimum of
18 months.
For decades,
Kerio Valley and the adjoining areas
have been rocked by intermittent
ethnic violence but they have never
produced an internal refugee. Yet
Eldoret, Kericho, Kuresoi, Molo,
Nakuru and the surrounding areas
produced hundreds of thousands of
displaced people after less than six
weeks of post-election violence.
What is the
difference between these two sets of
volatile regions in the Rift Valley?
The answer is simple; in Kerio, the
communities exercise their
constitutional right to
self-defence.
A man sought
over the slaying of a single mum in
Melbourne yesterday is believed to
have killed before. Police have
launched a nationwide manhunt after
Tracy Greenbury, 33, was shot dead
on a neighbour's front door step in
suburban Frankston yesterday. A
Melbourne newspaper understands the
suspect has prior convictions for
murder and had previously shown Ms
Greenbury his gun and ammunition.
The future
of gun control is at stake in
the U.S. Supreme Court this
spring. The court will rule on a
case involving the basic Second
Amendment right to bear arms -
and what it decides just might
throw gun laws across the
country into total disarray. In
the current case, involving a
challenge to Washington's strict
ban on handguns, legal experts
predict the court will - for the
first time - explicitly declare
that the Second Amendment
protects the "individual right"
to own firearms for private
purposes, such as self-defense
or hunting.
Submitted by DG.
Comment:
A note of caution: Never try to
pre-empt what a court may
decide.
Greens MP Ian
Cohen will face court in June on
allegations of assault. "He was
issued with a summons earlier this
month to appear at Byron Bay Local
Court to answer allegations of
assault occasioning actual bodily
harm and common assault following an
investigation by Byron Bay
detectives which started on January
31," a police spokeswoman said.
All
charges
against
The
Chaser
have
been
dropped
because
police
gave
them
"tacit
permission"
to enter
the
security
zone at
last
year's
APEC
summit.
Masquerading
as a
Canadian
motorcade,
the
comedians
and
their
crew
passed
though a
number
of
security
checkpoints
to
within
metres
of the
Sydney
hotel
where US
President
George
W. Bush
was
staying.
A University of
New Hampshire student who was told
by a professor that he could not
wear an empty gun holster in her
class as part of a protest responded
by posting the correspondence on the
Internet, which earned the professor
several angry e-mail from strangers.
Submitted by DG.
816
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Or, if
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Bank:
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BSN No: 082
240
Account
No: 57556 6603
Account
Name: Coalition of Law Abiding
Sporting Shooters Inc.
NOTE: You
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Because shooting is a
great sport and because it annoys people who try to dictate YOUR
choices in life!
November 2008
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